As City of Gaithersburg Takes $1.5M +/- "Gift" from MoCo Board of Education, Who Sits on City Ethics Commission But a MoCo Board of Ed. member. #Ethics

The City of Gaithersburg has cut a deal with the Montgomery County Board of Education to allow the Board of Education to build an elementary school on a public City park that serves 5 communities.  

The Board of Education had put forth that the land was being given over at no cost, but the actual contract reveals that the Board of Education will be spending over $1.5 million dollars +/- to pay the City of Gaithersburg what can only be described as gifts since the contract does not detail the actual cost of these items. The gifts to the City are to be paid for by the Board of Education and will include an artificial turf football field (and costs for the future replacement of that field), bleachers, lighting and a tot lot.  

Clearly, the land is not being handed over to the Board of Education at "no cost."  But what is the exact cost to the Board of Education and the MCPS Operating Budget? That number can only be estimated as no exact cost was included in the contract.  

If any any point in time there are ever allegations of unethical actions by the City of Gaithersburg elected leaders or their staff, any such complaint would go before the City of Gaithersburg Ethics Commission. 

Montgomery County Board of Education member Rebecca Smondrowski is a member of the City of Gaithersburg Ethics Commission. 

From Board member Smondrowki's online MCPS bio:  

Mrs. Smondrowski was reappointed as a Commissioner for the City of Gaithersburg Ethics Commission in January 2015.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/members/district2.aspx

City of Gaithersburg Cited by State Ethics Commission for Failure to Comply with State Ethics Law

   Public Notice Gaithersburg by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

BOE Member on City of Gaithersburg Ethics Commission. Hearing on 1st Complaint in 35 Years on Thursday.

The Gaithersburg Ethics Commission plans to meet behind closed doors on Thursday to review a complaint filed that alleges a violation of the city’s ethics ordinance.
Gaithersburg City Attorney Lynn Board said it’s the first ethics complaint on record, going back as far as 35 years.

Board would not disclose any information about the complaint, except that the city is bringing in outside counsel, Elissa Levan of Funk and Bolton, for the meeting.

Levan said she would be advising the Commission about establishing rules of procedure in open session. According to the agenda for the meeting, the Commission is then expected to call for a closed session to review the complaint.

The Ethics Commission is comprised of four members: Steven Blivess (an alternate member), Ian Kessler, Sally Marchessault (the chair), and Rebecca Smondrowski. The members are city residents and cannot be city employees. They are appointed by the mayor with the approval of the city council for three-year terms. Two members of the Commission constitute a quorum.
The city’s Ethics Code applies to all city employees, all elected officials, as well as officials appointed to some boards and commissions.

According to the Ethics Commission’s rules of procedures, a complaint must be filed in writing and signed under oath alleging a specific violation of a provision of the Ethics Code. The complaint must be filed within one year of the alleged violation.

Notice of the Jan. 5th Ethics Commission meeting and executive session has been posted on the city’s website, here. You can find more about the city’s Ethics Code online, here.

http://www.mymcmedia.org/ethics-complaint-filed-at-gaithersburg-city-hall/